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Rangers close on first World Series |
updated 8:00 AM EST, Tue October 25, 2011 Mike Napoli hits a two-run double to put the Rangers 4-2 up in game five of baseball’s World Series. STORY HIGHLIGHTS
(CNN) — The Texas Rangers moved to within one win of the first World Series triumph in the franchise’s 40-year history on Monday, after beating the St. Louis Cardinals 4-2 in game five of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Championship series. The Rangers, beaten in last year’s World Series by the San Francisco Giants, now lead the best-of-seven series 3-2 after a second successive win at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas. Mike Napoli hit a decisive two-run double for manager Ron Washington’s Rangers in the bottom of the eighth inning to hand Texas a game-winning lead. The Cardinals, 10-time winners of baseball’s biggest prize, had the bases loaded in the fifth and seventh innings, but Tony La Russa’s team squandered the opportunities on a night where they left a total of 12 men on base. “My bullpen has been great for me,” Washington told the Rangers’ official website. “They executed pitches. They’ve been coming in and getting it done.” we know the stakes right now, but we’ll show up ready to compete and play our game “We had a meltdown the other day, but other than that, they’ve been great. No matter who we call on, they have been coming in and getting the job done.” The Rangers’ designated hitter Michael Young admitted the team were excited, but still focused on winning game six at the Cardinals’ Busch Stadium on Wednesday. “We’re excited about it, but we’ll take the same approach we always have,” said Young said. “We have a really hungry team, but it’s professional in every sense of the word. Because of that, we’ll be ready to roll on for game six. “We’ll be playing that game to win, like we always do. … Obviously, we know the stakes right now, but we’ll show up ready to compete and play our game.” The Cardinals task was made all the more difficult by a mix-up during the eighth inning, when La Russa made a telephone call to bullpen coach Derek Lilliquist to issue instructions. You get a bunch of people and it’s loud and he wanted Motte La Russa, 67, had asked for relief pitchers Marc Rzepczynski and Jason Motte to start warming up, but Lilliquist had only summoned Rzepczynski. A second phone call was then made where La Russa once more asked for Motte to begin his warm up, but Lilliquist misheard once again and summoned 24-year-old Lance Lynn. La Russa had told reporters two days earlier that Lynn would not be used until at least game six, having thrown 47 pitches in Saturday’s 16-7 loss in game three. “It’s just like any other park,” said Lilliquist. “You get a bunch of people and it’s loud and he wanted Motte going easy to back [Rzepczynski] up, and I thought I heard Lynn.” To solve the problem, La Russa had Lynn intentionally walk Texas’ Ian Kinsler, while Motte prepared to take to the mound. Right-hander Lynn is only the third pitcher in the World Series’ 107-year history to enter a game just to intentionally walk a batter. If the Rangers fail to wrap up the fall classic on Wednesday, the series will conclude with game seven on Thursday.
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Tampa Bay Rays up next: at Texas Rangers |
.up next at Rangers What’s new: The Rangers, the AL West champions, are red-hot, having won 14 of their last 16 games. They have plenty of power, with five players boasting at least 25 homers — 2B Ian Kinsler (32), ex-Ray OF Josh Hamilton (25), 3B Adrian Beltre (32), C Mike Napoli (30) and OF Nelson Cruz (29), who has been slumping since returning from a hamstring injury. But Rays manager Joe Maddon says it’s their pitching, specifically their revamped bullpen (see RHPs Mike Adams and Koji Uehara), that makes them such a difficult matchup. Head to head Rangers won season series 5-4 (H) May 30: Rangers win 11-5 (H) May 31: Rays win 5-4 (H) June 1: Rangers win 3-0 (A) Aug. 30: Rangers win 2-0 (A) Aug. 31: Rays win 4-1 (A) Sept. 1: Rangers win 7-2 (H) Sept. 5: Rays win 5-1 (H) Sept. 6 Rangers win 8-0 (H) Sept. 7 Rays win 5-4 Memorable games May 31: Rays win 5-4. After the Rangers took the lead on a wild pitch in the eighth, Rays third baseman Evan Longoria came through with a go-ahead two-run homer with two outs in the bottom half, giving Tampa Bay a dramatic victory. Aug. 31: Rays win 4-1. RHP James Shields loads the bases in the first but retires 22 of the final 24 Rangers he faces in eight shutout innings. Sept. 7: Rays win 5-4. Rookie OF Desmond Jennings rips a walkoff homer in the 10th inning to give the Rays their 1,000th franchise win. The Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler forced extra innings with a solo homer in the ninth, spoiling a victory for LHP David Price. Key hitters 2B Ian Kinsler: The Rangers leadoff man also provides some pop, becoming just the 11th player in major-league history to rack up multiple 30-homer, 30-steal seasons. Kinsler has 32 homers and 30 steals. UTL Michael Young: Young was in the race for the batting title and finished tied for second at .338, with 11 homers and 106 RBIs for the season. Key pitchers LHP C.J. Wilson: The staff ace (and top Tweeter) may not be LHP Cliff Lee, but he has anchored the Rangers staff this season, going 16-7 with a 2.94 ERA. And he’s particularly tough against the Rays, going 4-0 with a 2.25 ERA in 17 career appearances (four starts). RHP Koji Uehara: Uehara, acquired from the Orioles at the trade deadline, has combined with fellow mid-year acquisition RHP Mike Adams to form a formidable one-two punch for the seventh and eighth innings. Opponents are hitting .048 against Uehara in September. Closer Neftali Felix: The hard-throwing right-hander has 32 saves and a 2.74 ERA. Who’s hot vs. Rays Michael Young .292 with nine homers and 60 RBIs in 85 games Who’s not vs. Rays Josh Hamilton .229 with four homers, 22 RBIs in 28 games. Joe Smith, Times staff writer .up next at Rangers What’s new: The Rangers, the AL West champions, are red-hot, having won 14 of their last 16 games. They have plenty of power, with five players boasting at least 25 homers — 2B Ian Kinsler (32), ex-Ray OF Josh Hamilton (25), 3B Adrian Beltre (32), C Mike Napoli (30) and OF Nelson Cruz (29), who has been slumping since returning from a hamstring injury. But Rays manager Joe Maddon says it’s their pitching, specifically their revamped bullpen (see RHPs Mike Adams and Koji Uehara), that makes them such a difficult matchup. Head to head Rangers won season series 5-4 (H) May 30: Rangers win 11-5 (H) May 31: Rays win 5-4 (H) June 1: Rangers win 3-0 (A) Aug. 30: Rangers win 2-0 (A) Aug. 31: Rays win 4-1 (A) Sept. 1: Rangers win 7-2 (H) Sept. 5: Rays win 5-1 (H) Sept. 6 Rangers win 8-0 (H) Sept. 7 Rays win 5-4 Memorable games May 31: Rays win 5-4. After the Rangers took the lead on a wild pitch in the eighth, Rays third baseman Evan Longoria came through with a go-ahead two-run homer with two outs in the bottom half, giving Tampa Bay a dramatic victory. Aug. 31: Rays win 4-1. RHP James Shields loads the bases in the first but retires 22 of the final 24 Rangers he faces in eight shutout innings. Sept. 7: Rays win 5-4. Rookie OF Desmond Jennings rips a walkoff homer in the 10th inning to give the Rays their 1,000th franchise win. The Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler forced extra innings with a solo homer in the ninth, spoiling a victory for LHP David Price. Key hitters 2B Ian Kinsler: The Rangers leadoff man also provides some pop, becoming just the 11th player in major-league history to rack up multiple 30-homer, 30-steal seasons. Kinsler has 32 homers and 30 steals. UTL Michael Young: Young was in the race for the batting title and finished tied for second at .338, with 11 homers and 106 RBIs for the season. Key pitchers LHP C.J. Wilson: The staff ace (and top Tweeter) may not be LHP Cliff Lee, but he has anchored the Rangers staff this season, going 16-7 with a 2.94 ERA. And he’s particularly tough against the Rays, going 4-0 with a 2.25 ERA in 17 career appearances (four starts). RHP Koji Uehara: Uehara, acquired from the Orioles at the trade deadline, has combined with fellow mid-year acquisition RHP Mike Adams to form a formidable one-two punch for the seventh and eighth innings. Opponents are hitting .048 against Uehara in September. Closer Neftali Felix: The hard-throwing right-hander has 32 saves and a 2.74 ERA. Who’s hot vs. Rays Michael Young .292 with nine homers and 60 RBIs in 85 games Who’s not vs. Rays Josh Hamilton .229 with four homers, 22 RBIs in 28 games. Joe Smith, Times staff writer If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top. Posted in rangers-news | Comments Off
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Kinsler, Hamilton power Texas Rangers past Oakland… |
[unable to retrieve full-text content]OAKLAND, Calif. –Ian Kinsler hit a tying home run leading off the eighth and Josh Hamilton followed with another homer two batters later, lifting Texas to a 3-2 win over the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday night and reducing the Rangers magic number to clinch the AL West to three.Michael Young, Adrian Beltre and Mike Napoli added two hits apiece for Texas, which won its 90th game to match its … What are your opinions. Posted in rangers-news | Comments Off
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Texas Rangers at Mariners: Sept. 17, 2011 game… |
UPDATE: Mariners relief pitcher Dan Cortes is done for the season. Cortes fractured his hand in what the team says was an “off-field incident” on Thursday. He’ll need three weeks to heal, then play winter ball. Colby Lewis had struck out six of his last seven by the time Mike Carp stepped up in the fifth inning, but Carp did his job with a two-run homer to right center. That cuts the Texas lead to 7-6 and puts the M’s right back in a contest they looked out of moments earlier. 5:28 p.m.: Texas scored three more times in the fourth inning for a 7-4 lead. Anthony Vasquez walked leadoff batter David Murphy, ending his day as the M’s called on Jeff Gray. One out later, Ian Kinsler walked and Elvis Andrus singled to load the bases. Josh Hamilton brought two runs in with a single and then a sac fly by Michael Young scored the other. Colby Lewis struck out the side in the bottom of the frame. That’s now four whiffs in a row for the M’s. Fan Appreciation Day is heading south in a hurry. 5:01 p.m.: Well, that lead didn’t last very long. Texas tied it 4-4 in the third after Anthony Vasquez decided to throw a little late BP, giving up three home runs to the first four batters he faced. Elvis Andrus left the building first, belting one into the M’s bullpen in left, then Josh Hamilton lined one over the right field wall two pitches later. Vasquez got a lineout, then saw Adrian Beltre bang one off the second deck in left on the first pitch thrown his way. See? Beltre can have power at Safeco Field — when the pitcher he’s facing tops out at 85 mph. Onward we go…oh yeah, Brendan Ryan is already out of the game, replaced by Luis Rodriguez at shortstop. That pregame handshake I gave him in handing out the local BBWAA Unsung Hero Award must have been a little too firm. Actually, the M’s just announced it’s a neck spasm. Kept wheeling around to watch all of those home runs, perhaps. Or, perhaps not. In the photo below, you can actually see me administering the Vulcan nerve pinch.
4:51 p.m.: Big second inning for the Mariners, who scored four times to take a 4-1 lead. The Rangers had opened the scoring in the top of the frame with a Craig Gentry single that brought Mike Napoli home after a leadoff double. But then Adam Kennedy and Brendan Ryan singled, Michael Saunders walked to load the bases with two out and Ichiro delivered his second single of the game for a 2-1 lead. Kyle Seager then doubled to right field, bringing home two more runs. 3:38 p.m. It’s Fan Appreciation Day at Safeco Field today, which means I’ll be down on the field in a few minutes to present our annual BBWAA chapter awards to Mariners players. Best Player: Dustin Ackley Best Pitcher: Felix Hernandez Unsung Hero: Brendan Ryan The M’s have made a late scratch, subbing Michael Saunders in for Casper Wells in center field. We’ve been told by a PR spokesman that Wells is “not feeling well.” The lineups: Mariners (63-87) Rangers (86-65) Leave any suggestions in the comment box. Posted in rangers-news | Comments Off
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Sizemore’s slam helps A’s end Texas hex (AP) |
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP)—The lengthy dry spell against the Texas Rangers is Sizemore’s grand slam in the sixth inning helped the A’s end a nine-game Manager Bob Melvin was tired of losing to the A’s division rival, and he let “These guys kind of had our number,” Sizemore said. “Skip (Melvin) let us With the score tied at 3, Rangers starter Alexi Ogando(notes) (12-8) hit Josh Ryan Sweeney(notes) attempted to bunt, and Gonzalez made a nice play to get a force Sizemore was sent in by Melvin to hit for Eric Sogard(notes), and Sizemore ripped Cliff Pennington(notes) added an RBI double off Tateyama later in the sixth to give Sizemore had his second career pinch homer, but a defensive play he made in Asked to compare the two plays, Sizemore smiled and said, “I’ve got to say Tateyama also allowed a grand slam to Boston’s Carl Crawford(notes) last Saturday According to research provided to the Rangers by Elias Sports Bureau, the In his last five outings, Tateyama has been knocked around for 12 runs and “The location is not there,” the Japanese right-hander said through a Adrian Beltre’s(notes) 299th career homer—a two-run shot in the sixth off starter Beltre, who had three hits to extend his hitting streak to 15 games, was the Andrew Bailey(notes) pitched the ninth for his 20th save in 22 chances, but it Hamilton hit a two-run game-winning homer off Bailey on July 9 and was 3 for “Obviously, everyone knows he hit the walk-off against me,” Bailey said. Ogando gave up five runs—three earned—and six hits in five-plus innings Ogando had gone 7-0 in his first 12 starts but the converted reliever has “He kept us in the ball game,” Washington said. “He’s coming back. I felt Willingham led off the second with a line drive single up the middle that Ryan Sweeney followed with a two-run triple into the right field corner, and The Rangers got a run in the third when Ian Kinsler scored from third on NOTES: Rangers OF Nelson Cruz(notes) ran the bases for a second straight day as he What are your opinions. Posted in rangers-news | Comments Off
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Oakland A’s snap nine-game losing streak against… |
ARLINGTON, Texas — Pinch-hitter Scott Sizemore’s grand slam in the sixth inning helped the Oakland Athletics end a nine-game skid against Texas with an 8-7 victory over the A.L. West-leading Rangers on Saturday. With the score tied at 3, Rangers starter Alexi Ogando (12-8) hit Josh Willingham with a pitch leading off the sixth, and David DeJesus followed with a single. Texas manager Ron Washington replaced Ogando with left-hander Mike Gonzalez. Ryan Sweeney attempted to bunt, and Gonzalez made a nice play to get a force at third. After Brandon Allen was retired on a foul pop-up, Gonzalez walked Kurt Suzuki to load the bases, and Washington again went to his bullpen and brought in Yoshinori Tateyama. Sizemore was sent in by manager Bob Melvin to hit for Eric Sogard, and the pinch-hitter ripped Tateyama’s 1-0 pitch into the left field seats for his first career grand slam and a 7-3 lead. Cliff Pennington added an RBI double off Tateyama later in the sixth to give the A’s a five-run cushion. Ogando gave up five runs — three earned — and six hits in five-plus innings. Adrian Beltre’s 299th career homer — a two-run shot in the sixth off starter Trevor Cahill (11-13) — pulled Texas within 8-5. Michael Young’s two-run single in the seventh off Fautino De Los Santos made it 8-7. Beltre, who had three hits to extend his hitting streak to 15 games, was the final batter for Cahill, who gave up five runs and seven hits over five-plus innings. Andrew Bailey pitched the ninth for his 20th save in 22 chances, but it wasn’t easy. Josh Hamilton drew a two-out walk, and Michael Young reached on an infield single, but Beltre lined out to second baseman Adam Rosales to end the game. Willingham led off the second with a line drive single up the middle that Ogando had to duck to avoid. DeJesus bunted, and catcher Yorvit Torrealba threw wildly to first for an error that allowed the runners to advance to second and third. Sweeney followed with a two-run triple into the right field corner, and Suzuki added a sacrifice fly later in the inning for a 3-0 pad. The Rangers got a run in the third when Ian Kinsler scored from third on Cahill’s wild pitch, and Mitch Moreland’s two-run double in the fourth pulled Texas even at 3. If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top. Posted in rangers-news | Comments Off
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